That's the Lynx. First, they're on a 4-0 run since the all-star game, in which they so surprisingly placed 4 players including 2 starters, Maya Moore and Rebekah Brunson. Of if you prefer, they're on a 7-0 or a 9-1 run. Overall they're a league-best 14-4. When was the last time a Minnesota basketball team got on a run like that? The Gopher men in 1997? The women in 2004? The Timberwolves? Never!
Because I'm not just talking about 4-0 or 9-1. I'm talking about those runs, where everything goes right for the Lynx and everything goes wrong for their opponent, and they just steamroll 'em long enough to say, "Game over."
Like that 22-8 run, for instance. The Lynx outscored the L.A. Sparks 22-8 to open the second half of the season at the Target Center. The Lynx hit 10-of-their-1st-13 shots, got assists on 8-of-the-10 buckets, and registered 6 assists in the 1st 6:29. By then, Lindsay Whalen had 6 points, 4 assists and a steal and Taj McWilliams-Franklin 8 points, 2 steals, an assist and an offensive board.
L.A. got within 4 at 45-41, but then came a 24-13 run and a 69-54 lead after 3 quarters. The final was 82-75.
Then there's that 19-2 run. The victim there was the defending WNBA champs, the Seattle Storm, though without WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson the Storm is more of a little Drizzle. The Lynx trailed 14-11 in the early going, then busted it open. This time Augustus hit 3 2-point buckets in the final 2:43 of the 1st quarter and Candice Wiggins hit a pair of 3s and added 2 assists, and suddenly it was 30-16. The Storm got within 9, but soon it was 46-26, then 89-57 and, finally, 92-67.
Then the other night at San Antone, well, I gotta admit they didn't run roughshod over the Silver Stars. But trailing 42-30 at half-time, they did just enough damage in the 3rd quarter to get back into the game, then pulled it out on a Whalen jumper with 1.5 seconds left. It was in fact all Lindsay all the time. For the game she had 23 points, 7 boards, 6 assists and 4 steals. She keyed the 3rd quarter rally with 12 point, 3 assists and a pair of steals. It was her assist to Brunson that gave the Lynx their 1st lead since 13-12 with 1.7 seconds left in the 3rd. Then with the game on the line, she took it herself and instead of a 1st place tie with San Antone (a Stars' win and they're both 12-5), the Lynx were 2 games up at 13-4 versus the Silver Stars' 11-6.
Then tonight it was Phoenix, the last team to beat the Lynx. Oh, and the last team to really embarrass the Lynx, coming from 11 down (91-80 at 6:31) with a barrage of 3s to beat the Lynx 112-105 in OT. Not tonight. This one was close for almost 3 quarters; in fact, it was 60-all with 1:21 left in the 3rd. By 7:29 of the 4th it was over, as Augustus and Charde Houston each scored 8 points and the Lynx had 4 assists on 6 buckets. Defensively, the Lynx stifled the Mercury with 2 steals (Adair and Augustus) and 2 blocks (Houston and Moore). From 78-62, Phoenix got with 12 but the final was 90-73.
So now on this 4 game run the Lynx are dominating the possession game. They're getting off 68 FG attempts per game to the opponents' 58, and making 48.5 percent of them to 41 for the other guy. The result is a ridiculous 9 more FG than their opponents. That's because they're getting 10 offensive boards (to their opponents' 6) and turning the ball over 14 times (to their opponents' 17).
Over these 4 games Augustus is scoring 17 points, Whalen 15, Taj 12.5, Moore 11.5, Wiggins 8 off the bench, and Brunson 7. Taj and Brunson are cornering 15 boards between 'em, while Whalen leads with 5 assists and Moore with 3 steals.
I admit that I doubted the Lynx' ability to play this well as a team, and especially to play this well on defense, and I doubted Cheryl Reeve's ability to coach at this level. So far, wrong, wrong, wrong. To which I say, more, more, more. Over the past month, this is the best basketball team (above high school level) that Minnesota has seen in at least 7 years.
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